Ellis County, Texas Last Friday, Ellis County landowners Ronny Caldwell, William Getzendaner, and Darren Eagle celebrated another devastating blow to Texas Central Railway's ill-advised high-speed rail project. In Ellis County where Texas Central has sued more than ten landowners Judge Jim Chapman denied Texas Central's motion for a summary judgment order declaring that Texas Central qualifies as a railroad company under Texas law. As it stands, Texas Central still has no legal right to enter onto private property, nor does it have the right to force landowners to sell their property under the threat of eminent domain. In short, everything Texas Central has been telling landowners and the public for the past three years continues to be proven false in courtrooms up and down the proposed HSR corridor. Hopefully now, after losing in court again, Texas Central will finally realize that in Texas merely saying you are a railroad doesn't mean that you are a railroad.

Landowner Ronny Caldwell said he is pleased with the ruling, especially since this is the second time he has been sued by the promoters of the proposed HSR. "Texas Central sued me back in 2016, then dropped the lawsuit after I hired an attorney and filed my papers. Then they sued me again in 2018. For years, I've been asking them to show me proof they are a railroad with eminent domain. They never could. And as it turns out, they couldn't prove it in court either."

This isn't public transportation. Its transportation for the wealthy according to the average ticket price the Japanese funded "Texas" Central "Railway" posted in the DEIS of $400 for a round trip from Houston to Dallas.

"Texas" Central "Rail" is trying to import technology from the 1960s with an updated facade in order to get taxpayers to pay for Japan to get ownership of 8000 acres of Texas farmland. Its a scam. Why build a system that has exactly ONE option for you to choose when there are existing systems with hundreds of destination options to choose from (airlines)? Its a dozen steps backwards (billions if you include the taxpayer funded and guaranteed loans TCR is planning to use to build & operate this fraud).

Actually the two HSR in Tokyo that operate in the black were built by the Japanese government then given to the company who operates them. So, if you count the absence of construction debt service as a government subsidy, then ALL high speed railways in the world require government subsidy to stay afloat.

Actually the two HSR in Tokyo that operate in the black were built by the Japanese government then given to the company who operates them. So, if you count the absence of construction debt service as a government subsidy, then ALL high speed railways in the world require government subsidy to stay afloat.

True, but at the very least they operate in the black. That can't be said for any other line build by the government and handed over to private operators.

Guess my point is, No one here has a dog in the fight, no one here is probably going to actually have to "pay" or "do" anything. ( especially if we can't pay for a ticket in the future)

As a Grimes County resident whose property values will tank but Grimes County will be responsible for maintaining the train access road TCR so generously wants to donate to the county, I have a dog in this fight. As a taxpayer who'll be responsible for bailing out this 21st century Enron, you do too.

Quote:

But yet so many are against the idea of a single train from Dallas to Houston for X reasons... Perhaps not a very neighborly thing to do-

It's a scam designed to use taxpayer dollars to pay off investors before any dirt gets disturbed. I don't think trying to steal land is terribly neighborly. Maybe if EcoZapp was told y'all had to provide and maintain HVAC for 5 cents on the dollar for "economic development", you'd see things differently.

So a train that went from DFW - IAH with branches or stops to DAL and HOU, that would make the most sense. Otherwise, you are competing with planes and automobiles. Both of which offer more convenience than a train could (Even get a free feel - up from TSA)

Guess my point is, No one here has a dog in the fight, no one here is probably going to actually have to "pay" or "do" anything. ( especially if we can't pay for a ticket in the future)

But yet so many are against the idea of a single train from Dallas to Houston for X reasons...

Perhaps not a very neighborly thing to do-

Thats all - Off to Save the World from High Energy Bills today folks!

Have a Great Day!

That train is proposed to go through Waller, Grimes, Madison, and Leon counties. Do you really think that there aren't people on here that would be affected by it? Do you have any idea how many people in this area own land in those counties?

I know a few people with a dog in the fight. One will lose his home and have his property divided.

I've failed to locate one supporter around here. Folks just want to be left alone. If it can be built without eminent domain condemnation then fine but a private business should never have this authority.

Eminent domain should be reserved for national security issues like that thing on the border that the bad orange man wants to construct keeping bad folk away.

Texas Central Partners is doing all it can to create the appearance that the Dallas to Houston high-speed rail project is "on-track" (pun intended), but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, there are many more unanswered questions about this proposed project than answered ones. To outline just a few:

Is the funding secured?Are the ridership estimates accurate?Are the cost projections realistic?Will taxpayers have to bail out the project?What are the real impacts on landowners and communities along the route?

What TCP's glossy brochures and rosy projections don't mention are the real concerns and risks that underlie this speculative venture. High-speed passenger rail depends on two factors for ridership: low rates of car ownership and high population densities. All high-speed rail line across Europe and Asia lose money but two two with extremely high residential densities and low rates of car ownership (Tokyo to Osaka and Paris to Lyon). Dallas and Houston simply do NOT fit the bill. Objective analysis leads to the inevitable conclusion that huge financial gaps exist between TCP's projections and reality and that taxpayers will end up paying the price to the tune of tens of billions of dollars.

Reading this thread makes me smile. I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks the train is a stupid idea. I know people that will lose land assuming it ever gets built. Unfortunately they are resigned to it because of eminent domain. And i can't figure out how the hell this group would ever procure eminent domain. It is beyond absurd.

I think the majority of Texans think the idea is "neat" and they aren't directly affected by it. I really don't see enough demand for it, but maybe I'm missing something. I'd like to see some data on that.

So moral of the story, in 20 years from now Texas will be another 20 years less advantaged when it comes to Transportation or fast moving trains.

It's not the idea of "This Train", but some of ya'll are going to be against each and every Train based on some argument.

- If Elon Musk said let's build a Train instead of some company from Japan- would that make all the difference in a Train? Cuz now we're just hating on some company from Japan just cuz they're from Japan it sounds..

They know mass transport- Texas is still trying to figure out and keep up with road construction over the past couple decades. Anyone driven down any Hwy's or Interstates lately in Texas? and here we are arguing about a train, and many proud to not have one/ will always drag down an idea like this.

So moral of the story, in 20 years from now Texas will be another 20 years less advantaged when it comes to Transportation or fast moving trains.

It's not the idea of "This Train", but some of ya'll are going to be against each and every Train based on some argument.

- If Elon Musk said let's build a Train instead of some company from Japan- would that make all the difference in a Train? Cuz now we're just hating on some company from Japan just cuz they're from Japan it sounds..

They know mass transport- Texas is still trying to figure out and keep up with road construction over the past couple decades. Anyone driven down any Hwy's or Interstates lately in Texas? and here we are arguing about a train, and many proud to not have one/ will always drag down an idea like this.

So, private property rights aren't a concern here?

How would you feel about some other AC company trying to steal your equipment?